Post by Jade Naamah on Sept 18, 2017 2:47:18 GMT -5
NAMAAH, JADE
Wandering Quincy
[ AT A GLANCE ]
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Height & Weight: 4'6, 104 lbs
Hair & Eye Color: Green eyes, brown hair
Positive Traits:
- Energetic
- Adaptable
- Self-reliant
- Spontaneous
Negative Traits:
- Impatient
- Reckless
- Sadistic
Loyalties: Currently Jade only has herself to follow.
Snapshots:
1999- Birth
2002- First started manipulating Reishi
2007- Attacked and killed own mother
2007- Attained Cross
2007- Arrested, released into care of Naamah clan
2008- Refined Reishi Control into Telekinetic force with clan teaching
2013- Recieved Ceremonial weapon from clan, left to seek further training
2015- Discovered Spirit Weapon, an explosive concentration of Reishi
[ ON THE SURFACE ]
Physical Description:
Jade isn't often the most imposing figure, standing at four and a half feet tall, and her aloof demeanor often deceives strangers passing by. She can be seen as childish, with her brown hair kept long and free down two inches past her shoulders. But if one studies her general expression, the way her lips remain tightly pursed in thought, and the cold stare of her otherwise vibrant green eyes, it becomes quickly apparent that Jade is not what she seems.
Jade's pale skin and overly thin body implies an unhealthy lifestyle, akin to malnutrition. Despite this, Jade boasts a bit of muscle tone that denotes intensive training or combat. She has two notable scars on her body, one that starts just below her left breast, and sweeps down in a clean cut towards her upper right abdomen. This wound looks relatively fresh and certainly hasn't healed over yet, so Jade typically keeps it covered in a string of bandages, often with childish designs. The second notable scar is a burn that covers a spherical portion of Jade's left palm, too perfect in shape and size to look natural. The burn has healed but discoloration and redness remains as evidence of the past event.
Jade's typical attire includes a schoolgirl uniform, worn both ironically and tactically. The uniform is in a traditional style, a sailor blouse with ascot included and a short skirt with stockings. Worn over the outfit, almost exclusively for the purpose of having pockets, Jade wears a light beige sweater, in which she usually keeps her hands. The final adornment, and most curious part of her attire, is a large duffel bag that appears to be strapped around her front to hang off her back sideways. This bag, being too large and unwieldy to be a schoolbag for the typical young student, is actually a cover for the sword she carries inside of it. The bag itself was designed to be superfluous, falling away with the release of a few buckles while leaving the sword and its sheathe in place.
Spiritual Description:
Jade's spiritual energy is wild and chaotic. In appearance it is a mass of billowing gray clouds like a small storm around the girl. The clouds often seem to form grasping hands and faces from the shadowy swirls inside, each with unpleasantly exaggerated expressions ranging from horror to joy. If given a smell it is a pungent phosphorous odor that stings the nostrils, and if it has a taste it's the metallic copper of blood on the tongue.
[ BEHIND THE EYES ]
Personality:
Understanding Jade is both complex and simple. She believes herself to be a monster, a beast of wanton desire who can do what she wants, when she wants to. For her the only thing stopping her is what others do, she doesn't quite care what they think or say. She knows that one day she'll come up against a stronger monster than herself, and she'll be killed, but to her that doesn't exactly matter. In fact, she values her own life very little, because as a monster she is one and the same as the things she kills. These are the core factors that shape who she is and how she acts. She moves on instinct, desire, and for the sake of fun. She often gives off a carefree attitude, and even when facing deadly combat with lethal precision, she acts like it's a game to be won rather than a battle to be fought.
Goals & Achievements:
Jade's goals are as simple as they are ludicrous. She wants to live a life of excitement and danger. For her that currently means hunting down Quincy (though this is subject to very immediate change after the first thread, this is how she will enter the BG universe). She intends to fight with the 'monsters' around her until she either becomes the strongest monster, or dies in the process. Above all else, her goal is to have fun and enjoy her short life on a miserable planet.
As for things she's achieved, those include the formation of raw Reishi into bombs, discovering a power akin to telekinesis, and the murder of her own mother. She's done very little beyond that worth noting, aside from killing some weaker Hollows wandering Earth.
[ GUARDIAN ANGEL ]
Quincy Cross:
Jade's cross, much like her family name, is related to Lilith. It's a ring she wears on the middle finger of her right hand, emblazoned with three connected crosses that form an upside-down letter "T", from which a tail sprouts downwards. Though Lilith is often seen as a demon in modern times, Jade's clan maintains that Lilith was a divine entity from which their bloodline descends, making their Quincy powers that much stronger than others. The validity of these claims is questionable, but the 'cross' works just the same.
Power:
Reishi propulsion akin to telekinesis. It allows her to move objects in her immediate vicinity, often at high speeds.
Spirit Weapon:
Jade's weapon takes the form of thin gloves of energy around her hands. Alone the gloves modify the force of objects they touch, for example something moving quickly impacting the glove can be greatly slowed. It can also cause things to move at immense speeds, such as the ammunition which she forms in the palm of her hands when using her weapon. This ammunition is made of compressed Reishi that, when mixed with Jade's Reiryoku takes on an explosive form. The longer she focuses on forming one bomb, the more exponentially damaging it can become (to a vague point limited by her spirit and weapon proficiency). When combined, launching these compact balls of Reishi from her gloves can cause them to reach lethal impact speeds alone, and the resulting explosion can vary from minor damage to widespread destruction.
[ LEGACY CREATED ]
Origin:
To understand Jade's origin, we must first understand her mother's. Jade's mother, Maria, was born to a more cult-like clan of Quincy practitioners. They considered their powers a dark gift from a demonic realm, and have acted accordingly since more ancient times. Rituals from olden times, twisted with each recounting of their performance until in Maria's time the shedding of human blood was almost as common as that of Hollow blood. Maria, who was born into this lifestyle, didn't know any better for many years. But as she came of age she began to recognize that the things they did were certainly no better than what they were supposedly meant to be protecting against.
When Maria attempted to voice her concerns she was met with ridicule. Her peers attempted to 'educate' her on the complex facets of their powers. How the rituals were necessary to garner and maintain strength of spirit and mind. It became clear to Maria that she could not convince the other clanmates to break from their abhorrent traditions, and so she decided that she would escape what she could not change. She fled the clan, fearing for her life. And as she continued to move from place to place, she soon discovered that she had to fear for the life of her unborn child as well. Jade had been conceived shortly before Maria had fled, and though Maria feared what the child might be or become, she ultimately decided to keep the baby.
Eventually Maria was forced to settle in a place far from her original home, on an outlying island of Japan. This is where she attempted to eek out a living as a single parent with no real job skills. This is the life into which Jade was born. Maria spent much of her time working odd jobs, just short enough on hours for her to be able to check in on the baby regularly. She could barely afford food, much less a sitter, so she struggled through those first few years of infancy. During this time she would always put the baby first when possible.
However, despite doing her best to keep all things Quincy from the child, it eventually came to be apparent that Jade was a talented young toddler. By age three she was capable of molding the Reishi around her to do her bidding. When Maria witnessed Jade practicing Quincy arts despite never being taught to, it triggered a primal fear in the young mother. She struck Jade, who was immediately overwhelmed by confusion and pain. Maria went on to detail how the act of using those powers was unholy and unforgivable, but Jade was still too young to understand. Still, it was enough to stall Jade's progress in developing her Quincy talents, for a time.
Maria could only stifle Jade for so long, though, before the natural curiosity of the young child overcame their fear. At the age of five Jade began to attempt to use her power discreetly, when she thought her mother wasn't looking or knew Maria wasn't home. For a short time this worked, but it didn't take long before Maria caught Jade in the act once more. This time Maria wasn't so gentle as to slap Jade. She screamed at Jade, calling her a monstrous child, throwing several random objects at the girl who quickly locked herself in a closet. Just outside of the door she could hear her mother continue to rage and curse the child, shouting that Jade would receive no food that week. That Jade needed to purge that vile energy from her body, or that Maria would do it for her. Jade was left in tears, clutching that door handle the entire night in fear of what her mother might do.
Much to Jade's surprise, the answer was nothing. At least not in that moment, or even over the course of the next few days. A tension hung in the air, and Maria treated Jade with an equal amount of ire and distrust, but she left the child alone. This was, for the most part, because Maria had taken to spending a lot of time out of the house, drinking. This gave Jade time to prepare what little food she thought she could get away with sneaking, so that the child didn't starve. But even with her careful rationing, it was apparent that the food stores in their house were getting low. Maria was buying alcohol instead of food with the precious little money they had, and by the end of two weeks the cupboards were barren.
Things went on this way for two years, during which the mother generally avoided or punished the child on a regular basis. A lack of food and an abundance of alcohol was changing Maria from a nervous but caring mother, quickly, into a violent and temperamental danger. Jade could see it in her mother's eyes, and it scared the child. Jade spent most of her time hiding at this point, only just learning to walk and talk well enough to go outside. Only coming out to beg on the streets or steal what little she could get away with. She became known as the beggar girl, and the people of the town that she lived in were kind and caring. They would put aside parcels for her, only what they could afford to lose that day, but enough for her to get by. This worked for nearly a year, but the precarious balance wasn't meant to last. Eventually her mother caught on to the daughter's excursions. It was on one fateful day that the daughter got home after the mother, who purposely cut her work short to catch her daughter in the act. She called the daughter a thief and a liar, a little monster who didn't deserve to be fed. The insults went on for what seemed like forever, until finally Jade could take no more of it.
At the young and tender age of eight Jade rushed her mother. The intoxicated and surprised Maria didn't stand a chance as Jade's hands clenched the nearest sharp object. Something primal flowed through the child as she lunged and struck repeated blows. Maria fell to the first few, shock rendering her body immobile and blood loss did the rest. Her own mother laid slain at her feet, and the only feeling Jade could identify in the swirling mix of emotions inside her was relief and joy. She thought to herself that, maybe her mom was right all along. Maybe she was a monster, but so was Maria.
Rise to Power:
The death of her mother was only the beginning for Jade. A shackle being broken, a first step in a new direction. For one, the girl was still hungry. She also didn't know how to dispose of a body, nor did she particularly care about doing so at that moment. Instead Jade was already considering her future. How she would survive now that her mother was dead. At first it sounded like a problem. But as she continued her usual routine of begging she found that nothing had really changed. She was still feeding herself, except now there was no looming threat of her mother standing over her. She was more free to do and act as she pleased. Eventually this meant building up the courage to go through her mother's old belongings. She found that her mother carried little of her past life, but Maria had held onto one thing. Perhaps because it was special, or maybe just in case of a need for self defense, was a ring with a strange symbol on it.
This ring, as we may know but Jade did not, was the Quincy cross belonging to Maria. Even at her first touch Jade could tell that this was something special. Something important. She decided to wear it on her thumb for the time being, since the ring didn't quite fit any of her other fingers at that point. There wasn't much else of use or value in the room, given that most of her mother's possessions had been sold off long ago, so Jade left what remained alone and moved on.
After a few weeks it was becoming apparent to the people in that small town that something was wrong however. At first it was assumed that, perhaps, the mother had fallen ill and the child was caring for her. Then the rumors grew more wild until finally someone decided to confront the situation head on. While Jade was out collecting food they went to the door of Jade's house. Before they could even knock the smell of decay hit their nostrils, and it took them several moments to compose themselves before banging on the door heavily. When there was no answer, they kicked the door in. It didn't take long after that for them to find the corpse. The man left quickly to inform the police, who arrived just after Jade did, apprehending the girl for questioning while investigating the murder scene.
Jade was detained on suspicion of murder, for good reason. But after some time spent in a jail cell outside forces began to act on her case. An interested party greased the wheels for Jade's release into an orphanage, and the case was dismissed for not having enough evidence against the girl. The interested party, in this case, were members of her original clan Naamah. It was from them she had her last name returned, and was brought back into the world of Quincy.
Jade, after having witnessed the way Maria acted, openly accepted the strange rituals and debauchery of the clan Naamah. It only made sense to her, having had the idea that she was a monster beaten into her at an early age, that these things were normal and okay to do. So she spent time with the masters of her clan, learned the art of harnessing Reishi to do her bidding, and that sacrifice was necessary in order to maintain both power and balance. She spent some time coming to terms with her own abilities, and after a time developed her own technique. Her budding skills showed much promise, to the delight of her clan members, and for the most part she did not need to take part in any of the bloodier rituals of her clan. She remained, however, very much aware of their existence as she watched them from around corners.
Her clan members gifted Jade two items, a sort of rite of passage for her fourteenth birthday. The first a sword, etched with symbols with ancient and special meaning to their clan, but otherwise ornamental. The second, a Sanrei choker, designed to be worn around her neck. It was expected of Jade to start using the choker soon if not immediately, but she opted to store it away instead. She was instead far more interested in practicing with the sword, using her innate power to shape Reishi to her will. In time she became able to move the sword in a telekinetic manner, coating it with energy so that it performed perfectly to her will and whim. She was praised for her adept prowess with both the energy and the weapon, and her clan members foresaw her becoming a valuable asset to them.
Her life became some semblance of normal in having been accepted to this degree within her clan, but this in itself bothered Jade. She still heard the voice in her head, the voice that told her she was a monster and that she wasn't fit to live in this world. She heard that voice and it made her laugh gleefully. Because it meant that so long as she was aware of what she was, she was free. She was the monster, and the monster didn't have to show mercy or forgiveness. It didn't have to think before it acted, it could do whatever it wanted... so long as it was stronger than the other monsters. But there were other monsters out there. Powerful monsters, like her mom. Like her clan members, that wanted to bind her to their ways. She knew that she could perform her powers without their silly rituals, that their practice was unnecessary. So she left the clan, under the guise of seeking new wisdom from other clans. Despite several protests, she quickly made her way out of clan Naamah to wander across the land.
Call to Action:
Jade found ways to forage, scavenge, pilfer and hunt to keep herself fed and well enough. But Jade knew that something was missing. She often saw the hollows wandering about, some were even drawn to her and soon met their ill-fated demise. She observed them at times, from afar. Saw how they would capture and devour souls. She wondered what it was like, to devour a soul like that, but she'd learned from her clan that Hollows were a different kind of monster than what she was. That they were designed specifically for that purpose and that she was designed specifically to kill them. Still, that wasn't enough for Jade. She wanted fun. So she began to actively seek out progressively stronger and more dangerous Hollows. She hunted the hunters, killed the monsters until she was pitting herself against things that were much stronger than her. It was during one of these battles in particular that she discovered her weapon.
At a point where the Hollow would have otherwise overwhelmed her, Jade attempted to use her telekinesis to push away the beast. Instead, in what was more fluke than skill, she formed the Reishi into her hand and with an explosive blast that simultaneously charred one hand to a blistered mess she put a hole in the beast that would otherwise have destroyed her. It was in this was that she discovered not only could she shape Reishi to her will, but she could concentrate it to explosive effect. With practice, some failures, and a lot of wanton destruction she honed her spirit weapon and over the course of several years she became extremely proficient in its use, still always seeking that next thrill. But as the common variety of Hollow that she could find scattered about the land began to feel mundane and trivial, a thought occurred to her. Was she truly a strong monster because she could pick on the weaker monsters... or did she need to set her sights higher?
Jade decided that she would return to clan Naamah, one last time. She would confront the monsters that had helped shape her into what she was now. But when she arrived there was nothing left. Her clan seemed to have disappeared, though the evidence in the air was more sinister than the tidy and clean buildings would have suggested. She could smell something there, she could see where things were repaired and reworked. There had been a fight, and so far as Jade could tell, the clan had lost. With her only target and family gone, Jade felt at a loss for things to entertain herself with. If she couldn't kill her own clan, then she'd have to seek out other Quincy from other clans and challenge them. If for no other reason, at least because it was fun.
Wandering Quincy
[ AT A GLANCE ]
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Height & Weight: 4'6, 104 lbs
Hair & Eye Color: Green eyes, brown hair
Positive Traits:
- Energetic
- Adaptable
- Self-reliant
- Spontaneous
Negative Traits:
- Impatient
- Reckless
- Sadistic
Loyalties: Currently Jade only has herself to follow.
Snapshots:
1999- Birth
2002- First started manipulating Reishi
2007- Attacked and killed own mother
2007- Attained Cross
2007- Arrested, released into care of Naamah clan
2008- Refined Reishi Control into Telekinetic force with clan teaching
2013- Recieved Ceremonial weapon from clan, left to seek further training
2015- Discovered Spirit Weapon, an explosive concentration of Reishi
[ ON THE SURFACE ]
Physical Description:
Jade isn't often the most imposing figure, standing at four and a half feet tall, and her aloof demeanor often deceives strangers passing by. She can be seen as childish, with her brown hair kept long and free down two inches past her shoulders. But if one studies her general expression, the way her lips remain tightly pursed in thought, and the cold stare of her otherwise vibrant green eyes, it becomes quickly apparent that Jade is not what she seems.
Jade's pale skin and overly thin body implies an unhealthy lifestyle, akin to malnutrition. Despite this, Jade boasts a bit of muscle tone that denotes intensive training or combat. She has two notable scars on her body, one that starts just below her left breast, and sweeps down in a clean cut towards her upper right abdomen. This wound looks relatively fresh and certainly hasn't healed over yet, so Jade typically keeps it covered in a string of bandages, often with childish designs. The second notable scar is a burn that covers a spherical portion of Jade's left palm, too perfect in shape and size to look natural. The burn has healed but discoloration and redness remains as evidence of the past event.
Jade's typical attire includes a schoolgirl uniform, worn both ironically and tactically. The uniform is in a traditional style, a sailor blouse with ascot included and a short skirt with stockings. Worn over the outfit, almost exclusively for the purpose of having pockets, Jade wears a light beige sweater, in which she usually keeps her hands. The final adornment, and most curious part of her attire, is a large duffel bag that appears to be strapped around her front to hang off her back sideways. This bag, being too large and unwieldy to be a schoolbag for the typical young student, is actually a cover for the sword she carries inside of it. The bag itself was designed to be superfluous, falling away with the release of a few buckles while leaving the sword and its sheathe in place.
Spiritual Description:
Jade's spiritual energy is wild and chaotic. In appearance it is a mass of billowing gray clouds like a small storm around the girl. The clouds often seem to form grasping hands and faces from the shadowy swirls inside, each with unpleasantly exaggerated expressions ranging from horror to joy. If given a smell it is a pungent phosphorous odor that stings the nostrils, and if it has a taste it's the metallic copper of blood on the tongue.
[ BEHIND THE EYES ]
Personality:
Understanding Jade is both complex and simple. She believes herself to be a monster, a beast of wanton desire who can do what she wants, when she wants to. For her the only thing stopping her is what others do, she doesn't quite care what they think or say. She knows that one day she'll come up against a stronger monster than herself, and she'll be killed, but to her that doesn't exactly matter. In fact, she values her own life very little, because as a monster she is one and the same as the things she kills. These are the core factors that shape who she is and how she acts. She moves on instinct, desire, and for the sake of fun. She often gives off a carefree attitude, and even when facing deadly combat with lethal precision, she acts like it's a game to be won rather than a battle to be fought.
Goals & Achievements:
Jade's goals are as simple as they are ludicrous. She wants to live a life of excitement and danger. For her that currently means hunting down Quincy (though this is subject to very immediate change after the first thread, this is how she will enter the BG universe). She intends to fight with the 'monsters' around her until she either becomes the strongest monster, or dies in the process. Above all else, her goal is to have fun and enjoy her short life on a miserable planet.
As for things she's achieved, those include the formation of raw Reishi into bombs, discovering a power akin to telekinesis, and the murder of her own mother. She's done very little beyond that worth noting, aside from killing some weaker Hollows wandering Earth.
[ GUARDIAN ANGEL ]
Quincy Cross:
Jade's cross, much like her family name, is related to Lilith. It's a ring she wears on the middle finger of her right hand, emblazoned with three connected crosses that form an upside-down letter "T", from which a tail sprouts downwards. Though Lilith is often seen as a demon in modern times, Jade's clan maintains that Lilith was a divine entity from which their bloodline descends, making their Quincy powers that much stronger than others. The validity of these claims is questionable, but the 'cross' works just the same.
Power:
Reishi propulsion akin to telekinesis. It allows her to move objects in her immediate vicinity, often at high speeds.
Spirit Weapon:
Jade's weapon takes the form of thin gloves of energy around her hands. Alone the gloves modify the force of objects they touch, for example something moving quickly impacting the glove can be greatly slowed. It can also cause things to move at immense speeds, such as the ammunition which she forms in the palm of her hands when using her weapon. This ammunition is made of compressed Reishi that, when mixed with Jade's Reiryoku takes on an explosive form. The longer she focuses on forming one bomb, the more exponentially damaging it can become (to a vague point limited by her spirit and weapon proficiency). When combined, launching these compact balls of Reishi from her gloves can cause them to reach lethal impact speeds alone, and the resulting explosion can vary from minor damage to widespread destruction.
[ LEGACY CREATED ]
Origin:
To understand Jade's origin, we must first understand her mother's. Jade's mother, Maria, was born to a more cult-like clan of Quincy practitioners. They considered their powers a dark gift from a demonic realm, and have acted accordingly since more ancient times. Rituals from olden times, twisted with each recounting of their performance until in Maria's time the shedding of human blood was almost as common as that of Hollow blood. Maria, who was born into this lifestyle, didn't know any better for many years. But as she came of age she began to recognize that the things they did were certainly no better than what they were supposedly meant to be protecting against.
When Maria attempted to voice her concerns she was met with ridicule. Her peers attempted to 'educate' her on the complex facets of their powers. How the rituals were necessary to garner and maintain strength of spirit and mind. It became clear to Maria that she could not convince the other clanmates to break from their abhorrent traditions, and so she decided that she would escape what she could not change. She fled the clan, fearing for her life. And as she continued to move from place to place, she soon discovered that she had to fear for the life of her unborn child as well. Jade had been conceived shortly before Maria had fled, and though Maria feared what the child might be or become, she ultimately decided to keep the baby.
Eventually Maria was forced to settle in a place far from her original home, on an outlying island of Japan. This is where she attempted to eek out a living as a single parent with no real job skills. This is the life into which Jade was born. Maria spent much of her time working odd jobs, just short enough on hours for her to be able to check in on the baby regularly. She could barely afford food, much less a sitter, so she struggled through those first few years of infancy. During this time she would always put the baby first when possible.
However, despite doing her best to keep all things Quincy from the child, it eventually came to be apparent that Jade was a talented young toddler. By age three she was capable of molding the Reishi around her to do her bidding. When Maria witnessed Jade practicing Quincy arts despite never being taught to, it triggered a primal fear in the young mother. She struck Jade, who was immediately overwhelmed by confusion and pain. Maria went on to detail how the act of using those powers was unholy and unforgivable, but Jade was still too young to understand. Still, it was enough to stall Jade's progress in developing her Quincy talents, for a time.
Maria could only stifle Jade for so long, though, before the natural curiosity of the young child overcame their fear. At the age of five Jade began to attempt to use her power discreetly, when she thought her mother wasn't looking or knew Maria wasn't home. For a short time this worked, but it didn't take long before Maria caught Jade in the act once more. This time Maria wasn't so gentle as to slap Jade. She screamed at Jade, calling her a monstrous child, throwing several random objects at the girl who quickly locked herself in a closet. Just outside of the door she could hear her mother continue to rage and curse the child, shouting that Jade would receive no food that week. That Jade needed to purge that vile energy from her body, or that Maria would do it for her. Jade was left in tears, clutching that door handle the entire night in fear of what her mother might do.
Much to Jade's surprise, the answer was nothing. At least not in that moment, or even over the course of the next few days. A tension hung in the air, and Maria treated Jade with an equal amount of ire and distrust, but she left the child alone. This was, for the most part, because Maria had taken to spending a lot of time out of the house, drinking. This gave Jade time to prepare what little food she thought she could get away with sneaking, so that the child didn't starve. But even with her careful rationing, it was apparent that the food stores in their house were getting low. Maria was buying alcohol instead of food with the precious little money they had, and by the end of two weeks the cupboards were barren.
Things went on this way for two years, during which the mother generally avoided or punished the child on a regular basis. A lack of food and an abundance of alcohol was changing Maria from a nervous but caring mother, quickly, into a violent and temperamental danger. Jade could see it in her mother's eyes, and it scared the child. Jade spent most of her time hiding at this point, only just learning to walk and talk well enough to go outside. Only coming out to beg on the streets or steal what little she could get away with. She became known as the beggar girl, and the people of the town that she lived in were kind and caring. They would put aside parcels for her, only what they could afford to lose that day, but enough for her to get by. This worked for nearly a year, but the precarious balance wasn't meant to last. Eventually her mother caught on to the daughter's excursions. It was on one fateful day that the daughter got home after the mother, who purposely cut her work short to catch her daughter in the act. She called the daughter a thief and a liar, a little monster who didn't deserve to be fed. The insults went on for what seemed like forever, until finally Jade could take no more of it.
At the young and tender age of eight Jade rushed her mother. The intoxicated and surprised Maria didn't stand a chance as Jade's hands clenched the nearest sharp object. Something primal flowed through the child as she lunged and struck repeated blows. Maria fell to the first few, shock rendering her body immobile and blood loss did the rest. Her own mother laid slain at her feet, and the only feeling Jade could identify in the swirling mix of emotions inside her was relief and joy. She thought to herself that, maybe her mom was right all along. Maybe she was a monster, but so was Maria.
Rise to Power:
The death of her mother was only the beginning for Jade. A shackle being broken, a first step in a new direction. For one, the girl was still hungry. She also didn't know how to dispose of a body, nor did she particularly care about doing so at that moment. Instead Jade was already considering her future. How she would survive now that her mother was dead. At first it sounded like a problem. But as she continued her usual routine of begging she found that nothing had really changed. She was still feeding herself, except now there was no looming threat of her mother standing over her. She was more free to do and act as she pleased. Eventually this meant building up the courage to go through her mother's old belongings. She found that her mother carried little of her past life, but Maria had held onto one thing. Perhaps because it was special, or maybe just in case of a need for self defense, was a ring with a strange symbol on it.
This ring, as we may know but Jade did not, was the Quincy cross belonging to Maria. Even at her first touch Jade could tell that this was something special. Something important. She decided to wear it on her thumb for the time being, since the ring didn't quite fit any of her other fingers at that point. There wasn't much else of use or value in the room, given that most of her mother's possessions had been sold off long ago, so Jade left what remained alone and moved on.
After a few weeks it was becoming apparent to the people in that small town that something was wrong however. At first it was assumed that, perhaps, the mother had fallen ill and the child was caring for her. Then the rumors grew more wild until finally someone decided to confront the situation head on. While Jade was out collecting food they went to the door of Jade's house. Before they could even knock the smell of decay hit their nostrils, and it took them several moments to compose themselves before banging on the door heavily. When there was no answer, they kicked the door in. It didn't take long after that for them to find the corpse. The man left quickly to inform the police, who arrived just after Jade did, apprehending the girl for questioning while investigating the murder scene.
Jade was detained on suspicion of murder, for good reason. But after some time spent in a jail cell outside forces began to act on her case. An interested party greased the wheels for Jade's release into an orphanage, and the case was dismissed for not having enough evidence against the girl. The interested party, in this case, were members of her original clan Naamah. It was from them she had her last name returned, and was brought back into the world of Quincy.
Jade, after having witnessed the way Maria acted, openly accepted the strange rituals and debauchery of the clan Naamah. It only made sense to her, having had the idea that she was a monster beaten into her at an early age, that these things were normal and okay to do. So she spent time with the masters of her clan, learned the art of harnessing Reishi to do her bidding, and that sacrifice was necessary in order to maintain both power and balance. She spent some time coming to terms with her own abilities, and after a time developed her own technique. Her budding skills showed much promise, to the delight of her clan members, and for the most part she did not need to take part in any of the bloodier rituals of her clan. She remained, however, very much aware of their existence as she watched them from around corners.
Her clan members gifted Jade two items, a sort of rite of passage for her fourteenth birthday. The first a sword, etched with symbols with ancient and special meaning to their clan, but otherwise ornamental. The second, a Sanrei choker, designed to be worn around her neck. It was expected of Jade to start using the choker soon if not immediately, but she opted to store it away instead. She was instead far more interested in practicing with the sword, using her innate power to shape Reishi to her will. In time she became able to move the sword in a telekinetic manner, coating it with energy so that it performed perfectly to her will and whim. She was praised for her adept prowess with both the energy and the weapon, and her clan members foresaw her becoming a valuable asset to them.
Her life became some semblance of normal in having been accepted to this degree within her clan, but this in itself bothered Jade. She still heard the voice in her head, the voice that told her she was a monster and that she wasn't fit to live in this world. She heard that voice and it made her laugh gleefully. Because it meant that so long as she was aware of what she was, she was free. She was the monster, and the monster didn't have to show mercy or forgiveness. It didn't have to think before it acted, it could do whatever it wanted... so long as it was stronger than the other monsters. But there were other monsters out there. Powerful monsters, like her mom. Like her clan members, that wanted to bind her to their ways. She knew that she could perform her powers without their silly rituals, that their practice was unnecessary. So she left the clan, under the guise of seeking new wisdom from other clans. Despite several protests, she quickly made her way out of clan Naamah to wander across the land.
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Jade found ways to forage, scavenge, pilfer and hunt to keep herself fed and well enough. But Jade knew that something was missing. She often saw the hollows wandering about, some were even drawn to her and soon met their ill-fated demise. She observed them at times, from afar. Saw how they would capture and devour souls. She wondered what it was like, to devour a soul like that, but she'd learned from her clan that Hollows were a different kind of monster than what she was. That they were designed specifically for that purpose and that she was designed specifically to kill them. Still, that wasn't enough for Jade. She wanted fun. So she began to actively seek out progressively stronger and more dangerous Hollows. She hunted the hunters, killed the monsters until she was pitting herself against things that were much stronger than her. It was during one of these battles in particular that she discovered her weapon.
At a point where the Hollow would have otherwise overwhelmed her, Jade attempted to use her telekinesis to push away the beast. Instead, in what was more fluke than skill, she formed the Reishi into her hand and with an explosive blast that simultaneously charred one hand to a blistered mess she put a hole in the beast that would otherwise have destroyed her. It was in this was that she discovered not only could she shape Reishi to her will, but she could concentrate it to explosive effect. With practice, some failures, and a lot of wanton destruction she honed her spirit weapon and over the course of several years she became extremely proficient in its use, still always seeking that next thrill. But as the common variety of Hollow that she could find scattered about the land began to feel mundane and trivial, a thought occurred to her. Was she truly a strong monster because she could pick on the weaker monsters... or did she need to set her sights higher?
Jade decided that she would return to clan Naamah, one last time. She would confront the monsters that had helped shape her into what she was now. But when she arrived there was nothing left. Her clan seemed to have disappeared, though the evidence in the air was more sinister than the tidy and clean buildings would have suggested. She could smell something there, she could see where things were repaired and reworked. There had been a fight, and so far as Jade could tell, the clan had lost. With her only target and family gone, Jade felt at a loss for things to entertain herself with. If she couldn't kill her own clan, then she'd have to seek out other Quincy from other clans and challenge them. If for no other reason, at least because it was fun.
